In the 21st episode we discussed the topic of walking with Glenn Berkenkamp! Glenn is a former bodybuilder and competition judge for Mr. USA and the U.S. National Championships, and now he is a writer, transformational speaker, and a self-described “student of self and soul.” He is also the author of his book Glenn Berkenkamp: 35 Wellness Walks to Expand Awareness, Increase Vitality, and Reduce Stress Glenn’s relationship with walking.
Together with him, we had an amazing conversation. His way of seeing the world is truly magnificent and this podcast episode is really uplifted by both his personality as well as his life philosophy.
You can follow his journey on LinkedIn and Instagram @glennberkenkamp , or from his website https://www.livingthehighestyou.com/
Here is a brief summary of the episode, though we don’t think it truly does justice to Glenn’s storytelling abilities, you have to hear it yourself to get the best experience!
The bridge between the spiritual and the physical
Glenn’s initial reaction to walking is gratitude. He emphasizes how fortunate he is that he has been able to walk all of his life. For him, there’s always immediate gratitude attached to it. Another word that often comes up for him is home. “Walking brings me home within myself. When you’re home within yourself, everything is better. It’s like watering the inner garden when I go for a walk, you know, so for me, it yields a lot of fruit.”. From these two examples, we start to walk on the bridge between our inner and outer selves through the episode, and have a look around to see what we can find.
“I think, if my biggest takeaway for people in that regard is that there’s a book within us all and to learn to read that book is really quite beautiful. And we can learn to read that book by giving ourselves quiet time within to connect into the book, and walking helps us to do that.”
Glenn Berkenkamp
Throughout the episode, Glenn gives us eye-opening and vivid descriptions of how he sees the world, not only from the perspective of walking but also through living life through our highest selves.
”When you see your child walking, don’t so much take a video of him when he’s pointing to a flower with a little bee on it. Rather, put the video away and you yourself, take a look at that flower and see it through the eyes of the child and wonder.”
Glenn Berkenkamp
The different types of walks
Glenn is an expert on walking, as he has written a book on the topic and has an athletic background. But walking can be much more than just a form of exercise.
In the episode, we discuss the various types of walks and their effects on people physically, mentally, and emotionally. We also go through some of the types of walks mentioned in his book.
From seeing the emptiness of walking, to meeting walks, and walking with children, walking can mean many things to different people, and only the sky is the limit when discussing the possible roles walking can play in our lives. Walking can bring people together, give us time to ourselves, boost creativity and give you a chance to see the world through not only your own eyes, but through the eyes of the person you are walking with.
The episode goes through how different types of walking can help you live a more joyful life, and we are sure there is something for everybody!
We hope you got inspired by this recap of this podcast episode with Glenn and gave you a new way of seeing walking! We highly recommend listening to the episode which you can find here. Remember to subscribe to the podcast for more episodes, and inspiration for you to start living a more joyful life!
